Monday, December 29, 2008

Assalamu alaikum, below are my notes from Lesson 178 of the Book of Funerals (كتابُ الجَنائز) from the Commentary of al Tajrid al Sarih (The Abridged Saheeh al-Bukhari) by Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq. In this lesson, the respected Shaykh taught Hadeeth 675-678. This lesson was delivered on Friday 4th January 2008. May Allah forgive any errors in these notes.

Narrated Abu Huraira رضى الله عنه : The angel of death was sent to Musa (Moses) عليه السلام and when he came to him, Musa (Moses) slapped him, and spoiled one of his eyes. The angel went back to his Lord, and said, You sent me to a servant who does not want to die. Allâh restored his eye and said, Go back and tell him (i.e. Musa (Moses) عليه السلام) to place his hand over the back of an ox, for he will be allowed to live for a number of years equal to the number of hairs coming under his hand. (So the angel came to him and told him the same). Then Musâ (Moses) asked, O my Lord! What will be then? He said, Death will be then. He said, (Let it be) now. He asked Allâh that He bring him near the Sacred Land at a distance of a stone’s throw. Allâh’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said, Were I there I would show you the grave of Musâ (Moses) by the way near the red sand dune. (2:423O.B.)

Hadeeth 675 - Abu Huraira (رضى الله عنه) relates a story he heard from the Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Allah sent the Angel of Death to the prophet Musa (عليه السلام). When Musa (عليه السلام) saw him, he hit the angel of death. The angel returned to Allah and said ‘You sent me to a servant who does not wish to die’. When Musa (عليه السلام) hit him, the eye of the angel of death fell out of its socket. Allah restored the sight of the angel and sent him back and told him to tell Musa (عليه السلام) to place his hand on the back of an ox. For every hair under his hand, he will have an extra year of life. Musa (عليه السلام) asked what will happen then. He was told that after this he will die. Musa (عليه السلام) responded by saying in that case he would rather die now. Then, Musa (عليه السلام) prayed to Allah ‘Oh Allah! Draw to close to the Promised Land so that I am only a stone’s throw away’. Allah brought him to a stone’s throw from the Promised Land and he then died there and was buried in an unknown grave. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that if he was there he would surely have shown the companions the grave on the side of the road next to the red sand dune.

Shaykh mentioned that many people have objected to this hadeeth and questioned its authenticity and validity despite the fact that it has been related by authentic narrators and has been recorded by others as well as Imam Bukhari (رحمة الله عليه). Apparently, the story does seem a bit bizarre but Shaykh mentioned that we should not look at this hadeeth in isolation. There are many other hadeeth which are beyond normal comprehension e.g. about the scream of the deceased person suffering punishment of the grave by being hit with an iron hammer that we covered in the last lesson. Belief in things beyond our realm is part of faith.

It has been the pattern of Allah with all of his prophets and messengers (عليهما السلام), that when the angel of death visits them, he offers them a choice; either to return to Allah or to continue to live.

Normally, the angel of death would come in its true form. However, on this occasion Allah wanted to test both the angel of death and Musa (عليه السلام). According to the interpretation of some scholars, on this occasion, the angel of death came in the form of a human being and entered without seeking Musa’s (عليه السلام) permission. Musa (عليه السلام) assumed he was another man and he hit him. According to some scholars, he recognised him as the angel of death but still hit him because he threatened him with death without offering him the choice of life, as was normally the custom with the prophets.

When the angel came back, Musa (عليه السلام) told him to take his soul now but he made one du’a before death; for Allah to take him close to the Promised Land. He had taken his people from captivity in Egypt to the promised land of Palestine. It was destined that Musa (عليه السلام) and Haroon (عليه السلام) would not live to see the conquest of the Promised Land. Musa (عليه السلام) knew this so he made du’a that Allah would at least take him close to him before his death. Allah took him close to the borders of the Promised Land. He died there in an unknown grave. Until this day, no one knows where his grave is. However, Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) knew and hinted at this but did not reveal it.

All the ulema have explained that the Promised Land is the burial place of the most pious servants of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and the prophets of Allah (عليهما السلام). Despite being who he was, even in death he sought the company of the pious servants of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

The ‘blessed land’ in the chapter heading refers to the land of Palestine and its vicinity. If someone wishes to die in the blessed land, then it is a noble aspiration. ‘Something similar’ in the chapter means Makkah or Madinah.

Imam Malik (رحمة الله عليه) relates a hadeeth in his Muwatta that the earth does not bless anyone. Some may have understood from that hadeeth that one should not desire to be buried in a particular spot. Ultimately, the place where someone is buried will not have an effect on them, either adversely or favourably. Imam Bukhari (رحمة الله عليه), however, tries to shown with this chapter heading, that this isn’t the case according to his opinion. He tries to show that it is permissible and even desirable to wish to die and be buried in a blessed spot such as Bayt-al-Maqdis, Makkah or Madinah. The ulema also say that it is also permissible to wish to be buried next to someone pious. Shaykh gave the example of members of the Prophet’s (صلى الله عليه وسلم) family being buried next to Uthman (رضى الله عنه, and Umar (رضى الله عنه being buried next to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

Is it permissible to move the body of the deceased before or even after burial? According to all four schools of fiqh, it is permissible under certain conditions to move the body after death but before burial to another location. According to the Hanafi school of fiqh, as long as there is no danger of the body decomposing it is permissible but there must be a genuine reason e.g. if the family desires that the person is buried in a good spot.

Imam Shafi (رحمة الله عليه) is the strictest in this regard and says it is not permissible unless there are no Muslims buried in the vicinity. The Hanbali opinion is similar to the Hanafi school of fiqh. The Maliki fiqh is most liberal in this regard. The conditions are less stringent for the Maliki school of thought. It is haraam according to the schools of fiqh to exhume the body and move for reburial except with the Maliki school of fiqh.

Shaykh stated that one should refer to the ulema and obtain advice for any specific issue.

باب: الصّلاَةُ عَلى الشّهِيد

CHAPTER 37. Chapter of prayer upon the Martyr

Imam Bukhari poses the question whether a funeral prayer should be performed for a martyr.

676. Narrated Jâbir bin 'Abdullah رضى الله عنهما : The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم collected every two martyrs of Uhud in one piece of cloth, then he would ask, Which of them had (knew) more of the Qur'an? When one of them was pointed out for him, he would put that one first in the grave and say, I will be a witness on these on the Day of Resurrection. He ordered them to be buried with their blood on their bodies and they were neither washed nor was a funeral prayer offered for them. (2:427O.B.)

Hadeeth 676 - After the battle of Uhud, many Muslims had been martyred. It was a tragic day for the Muslims. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would take one piece of cloth which would normally be sufficient for one man and divide it for two martyrs. This was used to cover the bare minimum that was required for each person. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would then ask who knew the most Qur’an out of the two. The one that was the most knowledgeable of the Holy Qur’an was shrouded and placed in the grave first. This shows the importance of the Holy Qur’an. Shaykh emphasised that nothing can compare with the Holy Qur’an and mentioned the great status of the person who is a hafiz of the Qur’an. Along with memorisation, it is also important to understand and act on the Qur’an.

The Prophet’s (صلى الله عليه وسلم) uncle, Hamza, who was only two years older than the Prophet and was like an older brother too was mutilated and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had to see his body in this state.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) also said that the martyrs should be placed in the grave without bathing. The martyrs of Uhud serve as the main basis for all the evidences for martyrs and their laws in Islam. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that they shall rise in such a state of the day of judgement that their colour shall be the colour of blood but their fragrance shall be the fragrance of musk. All the ulema agree that the martyr should be buried in their clothing without washing and bathing.

Jabir (رضى الله عنه) is the narrator of this hadeeth and his own father was one of the martyrs of Uhud.

The Shaykh mentioned that Imam Zabeidi summarised Saheeh al-Bukhari but did not include any chapter headings. The contemporary publishers have added these chapter headings by comparing with the original Saheeh al-Bukhari, however, they have made many errors and one such error is with ‘Chapter 38 باب: إذَا أَسلَمَ الصّبِيّ فَمَاتَ, هَلْ يُصَلّى عَلَيهِ وَهَلْ يُعرَضُ عَلَى الصّبِيّ الإِسلاَمُ’ which does not belong here. Hadeeth 678 fits with this chapter heading but not with hadeeth 677. Hadeeth 677 belongs to Chapter 37 i.e. ‘باب: الصّلاَةُ عَلى الشّهِيد Chapter of prayer upon the Martyr’

677. Narrated 'Uqba bin Aamir رضى الله عنه : The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم one day went out and offered the funeral prayer for the martyrs of 'Uhud', he then mounted on the pulpit and said I will pave the way for you as your predecessor and will be a witness over you. By Allâh, I see my pond (Al Kawthar) right now, and I have been given keys of the treasures of earth (or keys of earth). By Allâh, I am not afraid that you will worship others along with Allah after my death but I am afraid that you will rival with one another (for worldly things). (2:428O.B.)

Hadeeth 677 – This hadeeth refers to an incident many years after the battle of Uhud towards the end of Rasulullah’s (صلى الله عليه وسلم) life. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) came out of his house and made du’a. He prayed for those that had fallen in the battle of Uhud many years before. He prayed for them and then ascended the minbar. There is a difference of opinion as to whether this was Salat-ul-Jinazah or just a du’a. However, it appears this was just a du’a. Although some scholars says it was Salat-ul-Jinazah this was performed in the masjid not at the foot of Mount Uhud where the graves are.

On the minbar, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to the congregation that he is their ‘predecessor’ i.e. that he is about to die soon. Furthermore, he said that he has been given the keys to the treasures of the earth. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) lived and died in a state of poverty but this was a prophecy that his ummah would enjoy much wealth and luxury. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) came to eradicate idolatry but he did not fear shirk for the ummah but the love of dunya. Allahu Akbar!

All schools of fiqh agree that the martyr should be buried in their clothes without ghusl. However, should Salat al-Jinazah be performed over them? The opinions according to the four school of fiqh are as follows:

Shafi fiqh – no.

Maliki fiqh – if the Muslims were the ones on the offensive then no but if they were on the defensive then yes, Salat al-Jinazah will be performed.

Hanbali fiqh – better that Salat al-Jinazah is not performed but if it is performed, it is permissible.

Hanafi fiqh – it must be performed and is obligatory.

These rulings are for a shaheed who dies in battle i.e. shaheed ul shar’i. Others that are referred to as a shaheed in the hadeeth e.g. someone that dies of an internal illness but this is in terms of reward and not in terms of ruling.

There is a conflict of reports – according to some narrations Salat al-Jinazah was not performed on the martyrs of Uhud. For example, the previous hadeeth narrated by Jabir. There are a couple of answers to this. Firstly, Jabir (رضى الله عنه) returned to Madinah to make arrangements for his father’s burial. Secondly, an interpretation of Jabir’s (رضى الله عنه) hadeeth is that he means Salat al-Jinazah was not performed individually over the companions but jinazah salah was performed over the fallen in groups. The Shaykh mentioned that Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) would perform Salat al-Jinazah on groups of ten of the martyrs with his uncle Hamza (رضى الله عنه) being the eleventh. Each time ten more martyrs would be brought and Hamza’s (رضى الله عنه) body would remain. Thus, Salat al-Jinazah was performed repeatedly over Hamza (رضى الله عنه).

Chapter 38 – Chapter when the child embraces islam and then dies, should Salat al-Jinazah be performed over the child and should Islam be presented to the child?

If a child is born in a Muslim household, the child is automatically considered a Muslim and if the child dies then Salat al-Jinazah will be performed over the child. If one of the parents is Muslim, then the child takes on the Islam of the Muslim parent and Salat al-Jinazah will be performed. If none of the parents are Muslim and the child has reached a certain age of understanding (7 years according to Hanafi fiqh) and says ‘I am a Muslim’, then the child’s Islam is accepted. According to Imam Shafi (رحمة الله عليه), a child’s Islam is not accepted until the age of puberty.

The main question Imam Bukhari wishes to answer with this chapter heading is whether a child declares Islam before puberty and his parents are not accepted whether it should be accepted.

678. Narrated Abdullah bin 'Umar رضى الله عنهما : 'Umar رضى الله عنه set out along with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with a group of people to ibn Saiyâd till they saw him playing with the boys near the hillocks of Bani Maghâla. Ibn Saiyâd at that time was nearing his puberty and did not notice (us) until the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم stroked him with his hand and said to him, Do you testify that I am Allâh's Messenger. Ibn Saiyâd looked at him and said, I testify that you are the Messenger of illiterates, Then ibn Saiyâd asked the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , Do you testify that I am Allâh's Messenger? The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم refuted it and said, I believe in Allâh and His Messenger Then he said (to Ibn Saiyâd), What do you think? Ibn Saiyâd answered, Truthful things and deceitful things visit me. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, You have been confused as to this matter. Then the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to him, I have kept something (in my mind) for you, (can you tell me that?) Ibn Saiyâd said, It is Ad-Dukh (the smoke). The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, Woe be unto you. You shall never transcend your limits. On that 'Umar رضى الله عنه said, O Allâh's Messenger! Allow me to chop his head off. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, If he is he (i.e. Dajjal), then you cannot overpower him, and if he is not, then there is no use of murdering him. (Ibn 'Umar رضى الله عنه added): Later on Allâh's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم once again went along with Ubai bin Ka'b to the date-palm tree groves (garden) where Ibn Saiyâd was staying. The Prophet wanted to hear something from Ibn Saiyâd before Ibn Saiyâd could see him, and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم saw him lying covered with a sheet and from where his murmurs were heard. Ibn Saiyâd's mother saw Allâh's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم while he was hiding himself behind the trunks of the date-palm trees. She addressed Ibn Saiyâd, O Sâf! (and that was the name of Ibn Saiyâd) Here is Muhammad. And with that Ibn Saiyâd got up. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, Had this woman left him (Had she not disturbed him), then Ibn Saiyâd would have revealed the reality of his case. (2:437O.B.)

Hadeeth 768 – the Shaykh mentioned that Ibn Saiyâd was a very strange and weird character and no-one has ever understood the truth about him. He angered many people including the sahabah. Not only did he anger them but he confused and frightened them too. His name was Safi and was born into a Jewish family. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) heard much about him and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had been told about Dajjal by Allah. In the early stages, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had not been given all the identifying characteristics of Dajjal. There were some things about Ibn Saiyâd which were very concerning to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Ibn Saiyâd would dabble in Karbala magic which was a tradition in Madinah. Ibn Saiyâd would claim he knew secrets of the unseen and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) could not understand what he was really about. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) once went with a large group of sahabah including the senior companions such as Umar (رضى الله عنه) and Abu Bakr (رضى الله عنه) to Safi. He was still a child, around 10 or 11 years old. He was playing with other children and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) tapped him on his shoulder and he turned around. The Prophet said to him ‘Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?’ He looked at the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and said ‘You are the prophet of the unlettered people. Do you testify I am the messenger of Allah?’. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) refused to answer him and said ‘I believe in Allah and all the prophets’. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) asked him ‘What do you see?’. Safi said ‘I see a throne upon the water’. The Prophet said ‘That is the throne of Iblees, Shaitan’. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said ‘What else do you see?’. He said ‘Truthful things come to me and deceitful things come to me’. The Prophet said ‘You are confused. You have been confounded’. Safi used to make claims that he could predict the future and see things. So the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to him ‘I have hidden something from you. What is it?’ This is similar to when someone says to another ‘I am thinking of something. What is it?’ Being the Prophet of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم), he thought of a verse of the Holy Qur’an from Surah Dukhaan:

فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاء بِدُخَانٍ مُّبِينٍ

So wait thou day whereon the heaven will bring forth a manifest smoke (44:10)

Ibn Saiyâd said ‘Dukh’. He didn’t say the full word ‘Dukhaan’ which means smoke. Shaykh then spoke about these soothsayers and fortune-tellers that claim to be able to solve all of our problems and said that do have evil connections with shaitaans and evil jinns. They try to bring them information but they mix ninety-nine lies with one truth. Hence, Ibn Saiyâd was only able to manage this much i.e. ‘Dukh’. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said ‘Woe be unto you. You will never be able to transcend this stage’ i.e. yes, you may be able to manage this much but you will never be able to transcend this. After hearing all this, Umar (رضى الله عنه) asked permission to strike off his head! The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) told Umar (رضى الله عنه) to leave him because his was a child and that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) feared that Ibn Saiyâd was Dajjal.

The Shaykh explained that Dajjal means deception. Dajjal has certain characteristics – he will be excessively deceptive and manipulative. He will be able to convince people that Jannah is Jahanum and vice-versa.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was unsure whether Ibn Saiyâd was Dajjal. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that if Ibn Saiyâd will grow up to be Dajjal then Umar (رضى الله عنه) will not be able to get rid of him. However, if he is not Dajjal then there is no point in killing the child.

Umar (رضى الله عنه) was always extremely weary of Safi as were many other sahabah.

The latter part of this hadeeth refers to a time later when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) went to check up on Ibn Saiyâd again. He was lying in a blanket despite the heat and was murmuring to himself. Murmuring in this manner is one of the signs of people that dabble in magic. As the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) crept up to hear what he was saying, Ibn Saiyâd ‘s mother saw the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and shouted out to him. Ibn Saiyâd leapt up. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) told the sahabah that if his mother had left Safi then he would have learnt more.

During the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), Ibn Saiyâd remained a Jew who dabbled in Karbala. After the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) died, he embraced Islam and took on the name Abdullah. His name was therefore Abdullah Ibn Saiyâd. He got married and had children and one of his children was Umara who was an upright Muslim and a narrator of hadeeth from whom Imam Malik (رحمة الله عليه) narrates hadeeth from. However, Abdullah Ibn Saiyâd remained a bizarre character. He used to go for Hajj and Umrah but the sahabah remained frightened of him. Jabir ibn Abdullah (رضى الله عنه) used to swear in the name of Allah that Ibn Saiyâd was Dajjal even after he became Muslim!

Once Abdullah ibn Umar (رضى الله عنه) met Ibn Saiyâd and Ibn Saiyâd’s eye had become swollen. Ibn Saiyâd said he didn’t know. Abdullah ibn Umar (رضى الله عنه) said ‘Your eye is in your head and you still don’t know what has happened to it’. Ibn Saiyâd said ‘Allah can create a similar eye in that staff you have’ and then started screaming and braying like a donkey and began accusing Abdullah ibn Umar (رضى الله عنه) of hitting him. He then ran to Umm Mumineen Hafsah (رضى الله عنها) and began making accusations against her brother Abdullah ibn Umar (رضى الله عنه). Hafsah told Abdullah ibn Umar (رضى الله عنه) to leave him alone and not make him angry as ‘the first appearance of Dajjal will be when he is angry’.

The Shaykh ended the lesson with another bizarre incident regarding a conversation of Ibn Saiyâd with Abu Sa’id al Qudri (رضى الله عنه). This was another baffling incident regarding Ibn Saiyâd!

Most ulema agree that Ibn Saiyâd wasn’t Dajjal proper. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)said that 30 great liars will come after him. Dajjal can be any person that is a great liar.

How does this hadeeth correlated with the chapter heading? The sentence in the hadeeth where the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) asked Ibn Saiyâd who was a child close to the age of puberty ‘Do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?’